Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status designation officially terminated on July 27, 2026, and USCIS confirmed the shutdown in a release published July 29, 2026. Employment Authorization Documents bearing category codes A12 or C19 that were issued under the Haiti TPS designation are no longer valid for proving work authorization, effective immediately. Here’s what actually changed, who it hits, and what options remain.
What USCIS Announced on July 29
In its July 29, 2026 release, USCIS confirmed that the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation took effect on July 27, 2026. This followed a short court-ordered extension that had kept Haiti TPS-based EADs valid through that date
while litigation played out. That extension has now expired, and USCIS is treating the designation as fully terminated.
In practice, this means Forms I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) coded A12 or C19 — the categories tied specifically to Haiti’s TPS program — can no longer be used by employers or beneficiaries as proof of current work authorization.
How We Got Here
This termination is the final step in a process that has moved in fits and starts since mid-2026:
- June 25, 2026: The Supreme Court ruled in Mullin v. Doe that the DHS Secretary’s decision to terminate TPS for Haiti and Syria
is not subject to judicial review, clearing the legal path for termination.
- Early-to-mid July 2026: USCIS issued a series of short EAD validity extensions — first to July 10, then July 24, then July 27 — as federal courts intervened briefly to keep work permits valid while appeals were considered.
- July 21, 2026: A federal judge in the District of Massachusetts issued a partial administrative stay
affecting related USCIS policies, adding a further layer of confusion for employers trying to track validity dates in real time.
- July 27, 2026: The last extension lapsed and the Haiti TPS designation terminated.
If you’ve been following our coverage of this story, this is the natural endpoint of the timeline we tracked in our SCOTUS Mullin v. Doe explainer and our TPS EAD expiration update from July 10.
Who Is Affected
This termination affects Haitian nationals (and those without nationality who last habitually resided in Haiti) who held status and work authorization exclusively through the TPS Haiti designation. It does not affect:
- Individuals with a separate, independent basis for lawful status or work authorization (green card holders, other visa categories, pending adjustment of status applicants with their own EAD category, asylees, etc.)
- TPS holders from other currently-designated countries (Burma, Somalia, Yemen, Syria’s separate track, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Lebanon), each of which has its own designation and expiration timeline
What Affected Individuals Should Do Now
If your work authorization was based on a Haiti TPS EAD (category A12 or C19):
- Confirm your EAD category. Check the category code printed on your EAD card. Only A12 and C19 codes tied to the Haiti designation are affected by this specific termination.
- Talk to an immigration attorney before your employer runs an I-9 reverification. If you have any other potential path to status — a pending family petition, asylum application, or other basis — get that assessed immediately, since options can close quickly once work authorization lapses.
- Employers: Update your I-9 tracking systems to flag Haiti TPS-based EADs as expired for reverification purposes as of July 27, 2026. Continuing to accept an invalid EAD as List C documentation creates real liability exposure.
- Watch for further litigation. Given how many times the expiration date moved in July alone, additional court action is not out of the question, though the Supreme Court’s June ruling significantly narrows the room for further judicial intervention on the underlying termination decision itself.
The Bigger Picture
Haiti’s termination is consistent with the administration’s broader 2026 approach to TPS, which has also moved to end protections for Syria following the same Supreme Court decision. Countries with designations still active and set to expire later in 2026
— Burma, Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Lebanon (extended through November 27, 2026) — should be watched closely, since the legal framework that allowed Haiti’s termination to proceed applies equally to future decisions on those designations.
This article reflects USCIS guidance published through July 29, 2026. TPS status and litigation can change quickly — verify current EAD validity directly at uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status before making employment or filing decisions.
